Next Steps to Starting a Blog

Congratulations on finishing the first 5 steps to starting a blog. Now that you’ve mastered them and you’ve been working on building your social media audience, you’re ready to move onto the next steps. By now, you’re learning that being a blogger takes a lot of hard work and dedication. This isn’t an easy job. This isn’t a fun way to get free products. For a lot of us, myself included, being a blogger and social influencer is how we pay the bills. If you have a love of writing and marketing, you can turn this into the career you’ve always wanted.

So let’s discuss the next steps…

Step 6: Let’s Get Writing

Think about what kind of topics you want to write about in your blog. I’d like for you to try to come up with one or two things you really love and want to write about. Is it food? Is it beauty? Is it fashion? Is it parenting? Is it travel?

In Step 10, we’re going to talk about how to apply for campaigns. Some of the best advice I was given when I started out, was to think about what type of campaigns you want to get hired for, and write about those things first. If you’re hoping to land a food campaign, create, photograph and share recipe blog posts. If you’re hoping to land a travel campaign, document your vacations. If you’re not planning on going on any, book a local hotel for a couple of days and photograph and write about it. Show the companies you’ll be applying to, what you are capable of.

Think of the beginning of your blog as a portfolio and an introduction to you, your writing style and what you will be sharing. This way, when you apply for campaigns, you’ll be showing them your writing and photography skills. The more you have to show, the better your chances will be. So commit to one or two posts per week and be consistent.

Step 7: Share and Re-Share on Social Channels

As soon as you publish your blog post, you’ll want to share it on social media. You can choose to share with or without photos. I prefer photos, as they are more likely to catch people’s eye. Share your blog post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and any other social channels you are active on. The more, the better. Think about it like a business card. You aren’t going to print up 2,000 business cards and one hand out one. The more you hand out, the more people will learn about you.

You’ll want to include a shareable pinterest image somewhere in your blog post. This will give your readers something to share on their pinterest feeds! There are many ways to make a shareable pinterest image. Currently, I’m using Canva. Canva is great because they offer templates for everything! Just upload your image (they also offer some free stock photos), change the text and download. You can also resize your image to create one for Instagram stories, Facebook and Twitter. Everything is saved in your account, so you can easily come back and use your last design as a template, to create new social share images.

One thing that’s important to remember, is that you don’t want to share your post just once. The more you share, the more eyes will see your post. So, continue sharing each of your posts throughout the year. If they are holiday specific, share them a few times before the holiday and then again each year. If it’s a topic that can be shared year round, share it each month or every other week, depending on how many blog posts you have to share. Continuing to share will keep it relevant! Try to share one blog post every day on all of your social channels.

Step 8: Engage + Connect With The Blogger Community

The best part about becoming a blogger, is connecting with the blogger community. Join blogger groups on Facebook, reach out to other bloggers on Instagram. Follow them, engage on their posts and get to know them. You’ll find that there are so many that are willing to help you, give you advice and lead you in the right direction. It’s important to build yourself a support system of people that understand what you’re going through. My blogger friends are what get me through the day and I speak to them more than I speak to my family and friends I’ve known for years!

Step 9: Schedule + Create an Editorial Calendar

All of this may seem overwhelming. For me, structure has helped me to make sure I get things done on time. I live by my Erin Condren planner. I write everything down. I schedule blog posts each week, pencil in when I have to take photos, when I have to write, when drafts are due, etc.

You may want to create an editorial calendar for yourself, to help you stay up to date. Plan out your posts a month or two ahead of time so you have plenty of time to get everything scheduled and done.

Step 10: Apply to Influencer Platforms

Once you have content on your blog and all of your social channels, you’re ready to start applying for influencer platforms. While there are some that have traffic and follower requirements, some will welcome micro-influencers as well. Just make sure that you pay attention to each platforms requirements, prior to applying.

Here are some of my go-to platforms:

Social Native
Social Fabric
Sway
Clever
Cohley
Ahalogy
Pop Pays
Sivan Social

Next Up: How to Nail Those Pitches!

Next, I’m going to share some tips to nailing those pitches and getting accepted to campaigns! Sign up for our newsletter for some extra tips and to be notified when new posts are live.